Soul
by ThatShieldGuy
Summary: A one-shot birthday gift to CrazyPlotQueen. (Based on events from the RWBY: Tales of Haven forum)


_**Soul**_

 **By: ThatGuyWhoSurvived**

Taupa Tenga let out a tired sigh as he sat on the roof's edge, gazing out at the setting sun. Today had been a peaceful day, a day where Taupa could actually relax. The brawler didn't have to worry about Cerbero messing with him, some psycho trying to kill him, or dealing with the bullshit that came from the other students. Today was peaceful and that gave him time to think. Think about the friend he had lost.

Leo Las Amarillo, the egotistical tiger Faunus who gave him a chance despite all of the bullshit that Taupa did. He was the only person who was willing to be Taupa's friend, and Taupa had just pushed him away. Now, Leo was gone. He had been killed during the White Fang attack and there was no one else who was willing to be his friend now. He still had Terra and Amari, but they were different. Leo was one of a kind, and yet; Taupa had shrugged him off as an annoying brat who had daddy issues.

If only he had given Leo some support like the Faunus did with the brawler… Maybe… Maybe he would still be alive…

Taupa let out another sigh and held his hand up to admire the studded glove that it wore. It was the final gift Leo gave the brawler, and this gift was meant to be given on graduation along with a letter…

Taupa shook his head as he remembered the contents of the letter. He still couldn't believe that Leo had confessed his love for Taupa! Taupa bet it was some confused feeling Leo had about friendship. After all, the Faunus did say he had no idea what love really was. So that confession was just a declaration of best friendship, right? Right?!

It didn't matter though, as Leo was never going to get the answer to his confession. He was dead, and Taupa was nothing more than a monster. A monster who rips people apart on live television. A monster who has a crazy murdering rapist in his head. A monster who pushes away people who try to help him.

A monster who deserves to die.

"Hey. What's with the sad face you bum?" Taupa let out a tiny gasp of surprise as he looked around, trying to find the person who said that to him.

"I'm right behind you, Taupid!" Taupa knew only one person who called him that. One egotistical Faunus who he referred to as "Leofartus." The brawler whirled around, and felt his jaw drop at the sight before him.

It was Leo, standing there with his arms crossed; smirking at Taupa like he always did. Before Lo could say another word, Taupa used his Semblance to stand up and swing his fist at Leo. This bitch was going to pay for making him feel like this!

Taupa's punch didn't connect. Rather, it went straight through Leo. It was ghost, a ghost to haunt Taupa for all time! Now it was time to add another thing of bullshit to the list that was his life! Why did this shit always happen to him?

"Nice punch, but you could stand to angle it a bit higher. Would have crushed one of my ribs if you did!" Leo said, mocking Taupa as the ghost gestured for him to sit down.

Taupa didn't obey, instead asking Leo "What the fuck do you want?! I didn't need this shit today! I was having a quiet day, and you fucking ruin it you piece of shit!"

"Yeah? Well fuck you too buddy. I do what I want, and I want to talk to you for a bit!" Leo explained, sitting down right beside the spot Taupa was sitting in. The Faunus then gestured for the brawler to join him again, to which Taupa resigned himself and did. After a few moments of tense silence between the two, Leo continued; saying "You're not a monster, you know. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Now that is a load of horse shit." Taupa countered, his fist curling in anger at how stupid Leo still was. "I'm a fucking monster! I murdered Athena on live television, causing the Grimm attack that killed thousands. I have a pyschopath in my head, waiting to take over so he can murder everyone. I abandoned everyone to fight some shitty Grimm while the White Fang murdered them all. And… I didn't gave you the time of day! Now, you're dead and I'm a monster!"

"You're not a monster, because monsters don't have souls." Leo retorted, stunning Taupa into a brief silence as he tried to work out the Faunus' words.

"W-What do you mean by that?"

"Well it's simple really, Taupid. Monster's don't have souls, so they don't really feel anything when they do stuff. They don't care about their actions, or what the consequences might be for doing what they want to do." Leo explained, glancing at Taupa with a more genuine smile on his face. "You feel everything when you do anything, so you're not a monster."

"Then what am I?!" Taupa asked, his shout echoing out towards the setting sun as he began to disappear beyond the horizon.

"You're Taupa. A brash moron who has a soul." Leo smiled brightly at Taupa for a few seconds before disappearing with the sun, leaving the brawler all alone.

In response to Leo's disappearance, Taupa choked out a cry as tears began to pour out of his eyes. That fucking moron always knew what to exactly say, even if it hurts. He always poured his heart out, because he didn't know that he was doing that. The Faunus lived life like he wanted, not caring about what people thought of him. Leo cared for his friends, even if they didn't care for him. Leo was obviously the better one, but Taupa was the better one.

Why? Well, it was simple.

Taupa was alive. Leo wasn't. That made the brawler the better one out of the two. That made Taupa angry and sad with all of his being. Leo deserved to live, to live a life that he wanted to live. A life that Taupa didn't deserve to have after all of the shit he has done. But, life isn't fair like that. The good ones always die young, and Leo was no exception to that rule. If only he was… If only he was the exception.

Taupa wiped his tears away and looked at the glove, a determined glow in his eyes as he examined Leo's final gift to the brawler. Leo believed that Taupa had a soul, a soul that made him something better than a monster. If Taupa was going to live up to Leo's expectations, then he had best get going. Before he did though, Taupa needed to say something first.

"Hey Leo! I love you too."


End file.
